Growing up in a white middle class neighbourhood, The Clash were an important gateway band for me. Buying Clash albums introduced disco, hip hop, and dub into my record collection. While you could argue that explorations into disco and hip hop were merely flirtations from an adventurous band, their love for dub and reggae was deep.
Their affection for reggae was led by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, an area of south London with a large West Indian population. The group had already collaborated with Lee “Scratch” Perry and covered Junior Murvin’s ‘Police and Thieves’ on their debut record, while Bob Marley shouted out to them with 1977’s ‘Punky Reggae Party’.
Hidden away on the b-side of the 12 inch single of ‘London Calling’ was another great foray from The Clash into Jamaican music – the lengthy dub version of ‘Armagideon Time’. It’s a cover – the original version was recorded by Jamaican reggae artist Willie Williams.
The Clash also released a straightforward version of the song as the b-side for the 7 inch single, but it’s the extended dub version that shines. Simonon’s bass is chunky, Mick Jones overdubs electric sitar, and Joe Strummer sounds comfortable with lyrics like “A lot of people won’t get no justice tonight”, because they’re exactly the angle his own lyrics took.
You can find this song of the b-sides collection Super Black Market Clash, which in my opinion, is stronger than most of the band’s studio albums.
Stay around don’t play around
This old town and all
Seems like I got to travel on
A lot of people won’t get no supper tonight
A lot of people won’t get no justice tonight
The battle is gettin’ hotter
In this iration
Armagideon time
A lot of people runnin’ and a hiding tonight
A lot of people won’t get no justice tonight
Remember to kick it over
No one will guide you
Armagideon time
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Big YES for Super Black Market Clash. That and Standinista! are two records that add deep deep canyons to the bands discography. With those int heir arsenal they could be relevant to so many burgeoning music scenes in a era where punk was over relatively quickly.
I think Sandinista would have been better as a double, but there’s some great stuff on it. Great deep cuts like ‘One More Time’ and ‘Washington Bullets’.
I love the grooves on some tracks even if they’re not great songs.
Not much groove on the children’s choir version of Career Opportunities, but yes, a great rhythm section.
That one id just bizarre. Works great as a set closer though.
Love this song, love this band. Personally I love side 3&4 of the vinyl, I like sides 1&2 and almost never listen to sides 5&6 except for Charlie Don’t Surf.
Yeah, a lot of the best stuff is on the middle record.
Topper’s take on reggae was as original as Stewart Copeland’s. Listen to that hi-hat work.
Yes another good choice by you.
Feel like I should listen to more dub.
What i thought was cool about this was it had the Clash vibe which helps. I always like when bands take musical swings and they work. There were a lot of ideas in that band.
The rhythm section both wrote memorable songs, which doesn’t always happen. Simonon wrote and fronted ‘Guns of Brixton’, and ‘Rock the Casbah’ was mostly Headon.
I picked up Toppers solo record back in the day. I liked it. Like so many of those drummers they have deep jazz/r&b roots. I pulled it out a while ago and now I’ll do it again.